[PDF post-print: https://arxiv.org/abs/1808.09145] When developing devices to encourage positive... more [PDF post-print: https://arxiv.org/abs/1808.09145] When developing devices to encourage positive change in users, social psychology can offer useful conceptual resources. This article outlines three major theories from the discipline and discusses their implications for designing persuasive technologies.
[PDF postprint: https://psyarxiv.com/54jqr/] The current work provides evidence for a psychologic... more [PDF postprint: https://psyarxiv.com/54jqr/] The current work provides evidence for a psychological obstacle to the resolution of divisive social issues (e.g., affirmative action, drug legalization); specifically, people approach discussions of these issues with a threatened mindset. Across three studies, it is shown that the prospect of discussing topics which divide social opinion is associated with threatened responding (the dissensus effect). Divisive discussion topics are associated with both a greater level of self-reported threat (Studies 1 & 3) and a greater tendency to perceive neutral faces as threatening (Study 2). Furthermore, the effect is shown to be robust across manipulations of social opinion (ratings of multiple social issues in Studies 1 & 2; fictional polling data in Study 3), and was not reducible to individual attitude extremity (Studies 1 and 3) or a valence effect (Study 2).
[PDF post print: https://psyarxiv.com/shu2a/] Work on narrative influence has demonstrated that s... more [PDF post print: https://psyarxiv.com/shu2a/] Work on narrative influence has demonstrated that stories can have a strong effect on people’s thoughts and attitudes. However, existing research has not addressed how people respond to multiple stories endorsing different conclusions. The current studies examined how reading two conflicting narratives influences people’s decisions about a subsequent situation, with particular emphasis on how resemblances between the narratives and the situation moderate the effects. Across two studies, participants read two testimonials which described the successful use of different treatments for a medical disorder, and then made treatment recommendations for a patient who resembled one of the testimonials in treatment-relevant ways. The key manipulation was whether the patient also resembled the other testimonial in treatment-irrelevant ways. Both studies found that these distracting, irrelevant similarities led to less appropriate treatment recommendations. The effect on decision confidence, however, was less clear, with some suggestion of both an increase (Study 1) and a decrease (Study 2) in confidence.
[PDF post-print: https://arxiv.org/abs/1808.09145] When developing devices to encourage positive... more [PDF post-print: https://arxiv.org/abs/1808.09145] When developing devices to encourage positive change in users, social psychology can offer useful conceptual resources. This article outlines three major theories from the discipline and discusses their implications for designing persuasive technologies.
[PDF postprint: https://psyarxiv.com/54jqr/] The current work provides evidence for a psychologic... more [PDF postprint: https://psyarxiv.com/54jqr/] The current work provides evidence for a psychological obstacle to the resolution of divisive social issues (e.g., affirmative action, drug legalization); specifically, people approach discussions of these issues with a threatened mindset. Across three studies, it is shown that the prospect of discussing topics which divide social opinion is associated with threatened responding (the dissensus effect). Divisive discussion topics are associated with both a greater level of self-reported threat (Studies 1 & 3) and a greater tendency to perceive neutral faces as threatening (Study 2). Furthermore, the effect is shown to be robust across manipulations of social opinion (ratings of multiple social issues in Studies 1 & 2; fictional polling data in Study 3), and was not reducible to individual attitude extremity (Studies 1 and 3) or a valence effect (Study 2).
[PDF post print: https://psyarxiv.com/shu2a/] Work on narrative influence has demonstrated that s... more [PDF post print: https://psyarxiv.com/shu2a/] Work on narrative influence has demonstrated that stories can have a strong effect on people’s thoughts and attitudes. However, existing research has not addressed how people respond to multiple stories endorsing different conclusions. The current studies examined how reading two conflicting narratives influences people’s decisions about a subsequent situation, with particular emphasis on how resemblances between the narratives and the situation moderate the effects. Across two studies, participants read two testimonials which described the successful use of different treatments for a medical disorder, and then made treatment recommendations for a patient who resembled one of the testimonials in treatment-relevant ways. The key manipulation was whether the patient also resembled the other testimonial in treatment-irrelevant ways. Both studies found that these distracting, irrelevant similarities led to less appropriate treatment recommendations. The effect on decision confidence, however, was less clear, with some suggestion of both an increase (Study 1) and a decrease (Study 2) in confidence.
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some suggestion of both an increase (Study 1) and a decrease (Study 2) in confidence.
some suggestion of both an increase (Study 1) and a decrease (Study 2) in confidence.